Love and Prejudice
by WellingtonBoot
Summary: CloudxTifaxRufus. Tifa is caught between her growing friendship with the president of Shinra and the still hidden love she has for Cloud Strife. As she and Rufus grow closer Cloud must fight not to be left behind. Set after Advent Children.
1. Ball Gowns and Billionaires

**Author's Note: I'm back! I wrote the first 5 chapters of this story back in August but almost forgot about it. Now I'm at university I'm really busy but if you guys like it enough I might be able to fit in more time to write than usual. *HINT: Shameless request for more reviews* I just like the idea of a bit of a TifaxRufus romance with, of course, TifaxCloud too. Anyway I hope you like it and let me know what you think. I can't know otherwise!**

* * *

**Ball Gowns and Billionaires**

The night air had a fresh, energetic feel to it. Despite the surrounding construction and ruins of Midgar poking upwards in the distance, the hall in front of the members of AVALANCHE stood impressive and finished. A new town hall, Shinra had announced, would be built, fully funded by Shinra themselves for the new city of Edge. Finished, it was ready to begin hosting the various string of events that were to come in the many decades, maybe even centuries, ahead. At first they had been marvelling it at in the daytime, surrounded by a bustle of builders, electricians and plumbers as they had packed up from the premicise. Now, the stars twinkled high in the sky and they found themselves walking down a red velvet carpet. Journalists were fighting amongst themselves to try and get a statement or picture. They were the stars, Heroes of the Jenova War, now doubling as heroes against The Second Coming of Sephiroth.

They entered. Rows upon rows of ladies and gentleman dressed in suits and ball gowns came into view. The whole hall wore an essence of expensive and prestige. Even the domed ceiling loomed impressively from above. Each were distracted by the sheer amount of money that had been poured into the event: the wall drapings, the furnishings, the large number of staff and the way the floor had been polished until it gleamed. Then, in the middle of it all stood the president of Shinra.

"The honored guests arive!" Rufus Shinra announced, looking clean and comfortable in his pristine, cream coloured suit of expensive wool. Several heads turned and the heroes instinctively drew closer together as a group. Rufus' eyes narrowed on Cloud. He looked unusually smart in his own suit.

"Rufus," Cloud nodded, evidently a little uncomfortable.

Behind him, Yuffie's face had glazed over with a child-like awe as her eyes soaked up the interior decor.

"Don't get any ideas." Barrett clasped her firmly on the shoulder as he gave her a warning glare. Her fingers had been clasping and unclasping hungrily.

She shrugged it off. "Can't a girl look?"

Vincent strode past her then, cutting Yuffie short of anything else she may have wanted to say. He inclined his head towards Cloud and said faintly, "Do you think we'll survive this?"

Beside him Cloud chuckled dryly. "I'd keep an eye out for the exits, just in case."

"Isn't one of you missing?" Rufus interrupted.

Cloud turned quickly and surveyed his team members. His eyes darkened. "Where's Tifa?"

She was being eaten alive by photographers and journalists no doubt. She was too kind-natured to simply walk past and ignore them, and that dress... The girls knew who they'd see on the front of every fashion and celebrity magazine tomorrow.

Marlene, who had been standing beside Cloud, tuned to Denzel with a communicating look. Together they quickly nodded and sprinted in between the legs of the other entering guests. A few seconds later they reappeared pulling along a tall, dark haired woman with dark eyes, a kind smile and an astounding figure . Her strapless dress was tight but fitting and colored an elegant champagne. "Oh wow," she whisphered as she marvelled at the interior.

"Oh wow indeed," a voice uttered.

Cloud immediately shot Rufus a glare. The multi-billionaire pretended not to notice and continued on with his welcome. "Now that you are all here we can start with dinner. Naturally, you will be dining with me." He smiled graciously, gesturing towards a grand table in the center of the room. Before he could say anymore however, he was distracted by an advisor who lead him away.

"I can't believe we're going to dine with him at his table like it's some kind of honor," Yuffie complained, echoing all of their thoughts.

Red XIII looked at her with his one golden eye and then back at the table Rufus had just been gesturing at. "As honored guests perhaps we should put the past behind us."

The group then went quiet, a silent agreement occuring between them. They began making their way towards the center of the room. It wasn't long before Cloud felt a light tugging on his sleave. Soldier's instinct made him go tense, but then he heard the voice that belonged to the hand and he relaxed.

"You look a little tense. Are you okay?"

He continued walking, though not shunning from the proximity and so Tifa followed. "I'm not... used to wearing a suit," he admitted, the line of his lips creasing slightly.

Unseen to him the corners of her mouth turned up a little. "You look fine to me."

He continued walking on quietly. Even in her half-inch heals he was still slightly taller than her. _He doesn't believe me_, she thought to herself. She eyed him over as he continued onwards. Then, involuntarily she blushed as she became distracted by the strong line of his jaw, accentuated by the black of his dinner jacket.

"What is it?" He had caught her staring.

She swallowed quickly. "It's nothing."

* * *

In front of him Cloud inspected his "soup". There was barely three teaspoons worth.

Cid made to say something foul and insulting but was stopped promptly by his wife, Shera, who gave him a calm, 'please don't', imploring look. He lowered his spoon to the table and began to politely scoop the creamy brown liquid into his mouth. "Great soup," he said gruffly to Rufus. Shera smiled brightly then.

Marlene was looking admiringly at the brown haired woman when Denzel muttered miserably beside her, "Tifa's homemade soup is better."

She hit him lightly on the arm. "That's not very polite." She looked to Tifa for affirmation, but found her attention was elsewhere. Between her and Rufus, a debate had picked up.

"So why was the money spent elsewhere instead of where it was really needed?" Her female guardian's tone was still soft but tetering on firming. Her eyes had already taken a harder look than normal.

Rufus' sleeves slid back over his arms in elegant folds as he held his hands up in surrender. "All I can say is that, out of our control..." he casualy gestured at Reeve who sat across from him, "how the money was divided and spent could not be done in concordance with our interests, whether you consider that to be a good thing or not."

_Typical businessman, passing the blame onto someone else. And I thought Rufus had changed._

From across the table the accused director of the WRO, Reeve, looked up briefly. "Let's not discuss matters relating to money at the table, shall we?"

"I didn't bring it up." Rufus smiled with a hint of smugness, or so Tifa thought.

"Neither did I," she countered. "You felt the need to validate your company's policies to me and the subject just happened to come up."

Rufus simply said nothing and took another sip of his wine. It irratated her.

"Thank you for your investment in North Corel," Barrett suddenly said.

Rufus raised his glass momentarily in acknowldgement of the thanks. "I understand it has always been a quiet mining town and we don't want anymore from it than that. We have learnt our lessons in regards to taking more from a community than we can put back in. We are merely paying back what we owe."

_Shame you realised so late,_ AVALANCHE's collective inner monologue echoed, but none of them said anything. It was too late for petty squabling now.

* * *

The music began and cheerful couples full of wine and tasty cuisine took to the floor. Cid, Barrett, Cloud and Denzel remained at their table.

"Ain't no way in hell I'm dancing to this poncy-ass music," Cid's raspy voice started. He then stood abruptly from his chair and strutted towards the exit.

Barrett sunk further into his chair, draining his beer. "If my wife were here I'd take her for a dance," he murmured quietly.

Cloud folded his arms over his chest, eyes scanning the dancefloor.

"Marlene wants me to dance with her..." Denzel piped up.

Both Barrett and Cloud sat upright. "Then go take my little girl for a dance!" The bigger man slapped him gently on the back.

Surprised, Denzel almost choked. "But you guys aren't dancing with anyone."

_He's following chocobo ass's lead, _Barrett thought bitterly."Just because Spiky is too chicken to ask Tifa to dance doesn't mean you can't be Marlene's partner."

"Is that true Cloud?"

Under Denzel's scrutiny Cloud sank back into his seat and glared at the couples across the room.

Denzel followed his gaze. "Oh..."

In a pristine suit and dark glasses, Rude of the Turks was talking to Tifa Lockhart.

"I don't see any threat there." Shera's voice made them all jump. "Do you know where Cid went?"

Denzel pointed towards the exit for her. When she had left Yuffie then made her presence known, placing first her little leather bag and then her forearms onto the table next to Cloud. She smirked devilishly at his profile and then gave Denzel a friendly wink. "You know, if _Cid_ doesn't ask _Shera_ to dance I bet someone else will. Then, when _Cid_ sees _Sher_a being taken around the floor by another man I bet he'll regret not asking first." She paused to detect any change in Cloud's features. "Who knows, maybe_ Shera_ will decide she's bored of _Cid_ and run off with the dashing man who had the balls to ask."

Cloud's nearest eye took on a stony, death-like glare appearence.

* * *

"You own the same bar as before then?"

Tifa couldn't help admiring the small, shy smile of the Turk standing in front of her. Who knew after the many times they had found themselves pitted against one another they could be chatting pleasently like this? "Yes. We're all happy there," she smiled.

"You and the children you take care of." Rude glanced at Marlene who was sipping her drink. "And Cloud," he added after a short pause.

She nodded. "If you ever find yourself in the area..."

"I'll make sure to come in. With Reno most likely, if that's not a problem."

Her eyes lit up in understanding. "I don't mind Reno."

The music in the background took a pause, the backdrop of sound suspending for a moment. Then, the band began to play again. Rude offered out his hand awkwardly. She looped her arm through his and they took to the floor.

"Get Denzel!" Tifa mouthed to Marlene. Then, turning back to Rude she admitted, "I've never really danced before. Not like this, anyway."

His facial expression was warm. "I'll lead. You just follow."

The dance began. It took some adjustment getting used to the feel of a man's hand around her waist and, although less so, also holding one of her hands in turn. But Rude was safe, she told herself, a gentleman. She knew she could relax around him.

She glanced over Rude's shoulder to try and spot Denzel or Marlene. Marlene was pulling at Denzel's sleeve, no doubt giving him a pep talk in order to persuade him to dance with her. She smiled. Her eyes then caught those of a stoic-looking gentleman in a black dinner jacket. It set off the shape of his strong jaw and the tint of his mako colored eyes. Her lungs suddenly shrank within her chest.

Rude swung her round gently on her heels but she hesitated. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No..." But the way Cloud had been staring at her...

Rude swung her round again. "You're doing fine," he assured her.

"May I?"

They both stopped. Rufus Shinra's calm eyes focused only on Tifa as Rude stepped aside. She looked between Rufus and Rude as she was passed along like a baton. Gentle hands were replaced by even gentler hands, though which had a surer grip. Tifa suddenly felt herself in the presence of someone much larger than her, the president of Shinra. Her gut reaction was to react as if he was the opposite.

"Thank you, Rude," Rufus said graciously. "I hope you don't mind me interrupting," he said, focusing his attention on her.

The line of her lips drew a little tighter. "Not at all."

Meanwhile heads tilted and expressions grew curious as many of the guests around the hall asked themselves, Who is the president dancing with? With a closer look they recognised her straight away.

"I believe I have made you the center of attention." Rufus' smugness exuded around him. Rich, powerful and full of it.

She began to say something in response but decided against it. He wasn't worth her breath.

"You don't like me, do you?"

There was genuine, serious curiosity in his voice. It caused Tifa to look up at him properly, into his blue eyes. "I guess I'm finding it hard to put the past behind us," she admitted.

He regarded her for a long moment. "I'm not the same as my father." His eyes glazed over just slightly. "Neither am I the same Rufus Shinra you and your friends met in Midgar all those years ago."

"I realize that you're trying to change..." Memories of a burning Nibelheim flashed before her eyes. She winced.

"Old prejudices die hard, I suppose."

At his words, all at once Tifa felt ashamed of herself.

"No matter." They slowly came to a stop. "Thank you for the dance, Tifa Lockhart." He began to move away from her. "It was worth the insight."

She merely watched as he walked away from her. As far as the onlookers were concerned, a stunning young woman had been left standing alone in the middle of the dancefloor by the president. She then felt a soft touch on her arm.

"Tifa?" Cloud Strife, known as the leading hero of the Jenova War, was now standing by her side. "Do you want to dance?"

Her heart raced, but at the same there was a dull thumping against her ribcage. Doubt and shame and excitement and love all mixed into one at once. Recalling Rufus' face she felt unsteady. But then, when her own eyes met Cloud's, she felt secure again. "Of course."

He placed his hand in hers and the other around her waist. To those watching he came across as cool and collected, but inside he felt nothing but the increased pulsing of blood through his chest and head. "I'm not too good at dancing."

"Neither am I..." Encouragingly she seated herself further into his grip. "Rude only just showed me how. I think the trick is to follow what everyone else is doing." She felt nervous in his arms, unlike with the other two men, and it wasn't because he was an inexperienced dancer.

Cloud became quiet for a few moments. "What did Rufus Shinra have to say to you?"

"I think he wanted my opinion on something."

"Which was?" The question was direct; unlike him.

"The way the world currently views him, I suppose."

His eyes took in the complicated expression on her face, but he chose not to pursue it.

Concentrating on the dance was going to be hard enough as it was.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	2. Barmaids and Coffee

**Author's Note: Short chapter but I'll make it up later on! Make sure to keep telling me your thoughts, even if you want to tell me who you want Tifa to end up with. :P**

* * *

**Barmaids and Coffee**

"So, what happened after the ball?" Yuffie's voice bubbled with excitement.

Tifa, getting ready for the day ahead, had her mobile wedged between her shoulder and her ear as she chopped various vegetables and sprinkled them with spices. "What do you mean 'what happened'?"

"Don't play dumb! The way you two were looking at each other could have been from a scene in a movie. Like a Disney movie. You know, like Sleeping Beauty or Beauty and the Beast."

Tifa chuckled. "I think you've been watching too many films with Marlene and Denzel."

On the other end of the line Yuffie scoffed loudly into the mouthpiece. "I sometimes wonder if you're deliberately stupid or if I'm just missing something."

Tifa grinned at that. Sometimes she wasn't sure herself.

"Where is he now, anyway?"

"Out making deliveries, like normal."

"What are you doing?"

"Cooking. I run a bar, remember?"

"Argh! You both drive me nuts." There was a shuffling noise. When Yuffie next spoke, her voice engulfed the the air around Tifa's ear, her mouth probably speaking much closer into the mouthpiece. "Or are you telling me that there's something going on between you and Rufus?"

"What?" Tifa nearly shrieked. She had to catch her phone before it fell onto the chopping board. "Where would you get an idea like that?"

"You _were_ dancing with him. It's not as if Rufus dances with just anyone."

"Then I guess I should be flattered." Thinking about the actual encounter Tifa felt a twisting in her gut. She must have come across so proud and judgemental. "But seriously, don't read into it."

"Oh? Well, if you say so."

Eventually Yuffie rang off leaving Tifa alone in the kitchen. She couldn't help thinking to herself, _I wonder if I'll have the chance to make it up to him._

* * *

The new Shinra headquarters stood tall above many of the other buildings in Edge. It hadn't been built too quickly, of course, otherwise the company would have looked too eager to gain power again. Instead large amounts of money had been invested in local construction projects as well, helping the city build up at the same pace as the headquarters. It had been Rufus' idea.

The president of Shinra was trying to win back the confidence of the world's people. He was starting by trying to put back into the world what his company had taken out of it. It was no longer to be a greedy, profit-hungry organisation. It would be a respected, valued company and yet still successful, in time at least.

The young business tycoon pulled his jacket from around his shoulders and draped it across his chair. The blinds were still closed, so with a quick command they opened instantly, all the work of a voice-sensitive computer. Light shone in. His pupils constricted.

"Voice mail messages," he said monotonously to the computer.

"You have forty-two new voice mail messages." The computer's voice made Rufus envision a pretty woman hooked up to an electric voice-box.

"Not now." He waved away the concept of listening to them, any of them, at that moment. Reclining onto his bed he asked it, "What is my schedule for today?"

"Eight-thirty a.m.: Breakfast with the chief executive of Forst Contractors. Ten a.m.: Meeting with the UCT. Twelve p.m.: lunch. Twelve-thirty p.m. -"

"Is that some time to myself I just heard?"

The computer continued the drill off of his schedule despite his interruption. When it had finished he had counted six meetings in total and all in one day. He hadn't even got any proper sleep yet. Michelle or Mandy - or was it Miranda who had eventually seduced him? - had kept him up most of the night. He sighed loudly into the cool, air-conditioned room and began unbuttoning his shirt. If he was going to brave today he was going to at least need a shower and a change of clothes. When he was nearly ready, he pressed a thumb clumsily onto a button on his wall. There was a buzzing sound.

"Trish?"

The buzzing stopped.

"Yes, president, sir?"

"Could you send a couple of espressos my way, please?"

"Of course, sir. And sir? Tseng is here to see you."

Rufus had barely turned around and he was already in the room.

"Is everything okay, Rufus?" The Turk held a collected presence about him. Poised, sharp and in tune with his surroundings. For seven in the morning he looked enviably fresh.

"Late night." Rufus swept a hand through his hair and squinted his dry eyes. "What is it?"

The Turk quickly got down to business. There had been a scandal here, a scandal there and some potential leaks of important information regarding the companies finances. Usually he wouldn't have bothered Rufus so early, but he felt it was important he prepare his defence for his meetings later on in the afternoon.

"Thanks, Tseng."

"How was the ball, by the way?"

Rufus looked at him curiously. It was unlike him to ask about trivialities. "It went fine. No major hiccups. Why?"

"I think Rude feels a little out-done by you."

Rufus had been re-tying his tie. He halted. "Why would that be?"

"According to Reno you took Tifa Lockhart out from right under his nose. He's been sulking ever since."

Scanning Tseng's face for any hint of amusement Rufus finally gave up when he couldn't find any. Any that showed, at any rate.

"Tell him I'll make it up to him."

With a quick nod Tseng was gone again. _Like some kind of spirit_, Rufus thought to himself. Then his mind drifted back to the topic they had just been discussing. _I guess Rude must like Tifa._ It was hardly a surprise to him. But then, after a while of fiddling with the top button of his shirt, he remembered why he had danced with her in the first place. Unwillingly his chest deflated. _Once __a bad corporation __always a a bad corporation. It had all been the same to her._

A buzzing noise interrupted his thoughts. Trish's voice issued from the speaker on his wall. "Sir, your coffee is ready now."

He grimaced at the sound of her voice. For a moment he felt like asking to be left alone, but then he thought better of it. "Bring it in. I'm decent." Sitting down on the foot of his bed Rufus Shinra wondered if he would ever reverse the hatred for him that existed throughout the world.

_Well I guess if I was to start anywhere it would be with her._


	3. Turks and Cheques

**Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews so far. It's nice to hear your thoughts. :)**

**

* * *

**

**Turks and Cheques**

When the Turks came across the street that harboured Seventh Heaven they weren't surprised to see a line spilling into the street. Neither Reno nor Rude had ever entered the original Seventh Heaven in Midgar, but they had heard about it. It had been described as a typical slums building on the outside but having a warming, homely atmosphere that hugged you around the middle on the inside. The food had been good, too, apparently. Never mind the knock-out barmaid who always gave service with a smile.

A few years on and they were looking at the reincarnation. They knew however that barmaid on the inside would be the exact same one as before. Just wearing more unfortunately, or at least Reno thought.

They walked inside. The air smelt like good cooking, ale and comfort. Children and adults were sat together at tables drinking juices, alcohol (the adults only) or eating their food. A small girl of about six years of age bustled past them, calling for an unknown name to them. Rude realised a split-second later on that she was the bar's waitress, little Marlene Wallace.

"A vodka and coke please." Reno waved his hand around lazily like a monarch.

Rude elbowed him hard in the side.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Tifa had moved up to their side of the bar. Her eyes then widened in recognition. "You came," she said mainly to Rude.

The corners of Rude's turned up slightly. "We were in the area, and like you said..."

"Yeah, of course. Just give me a second to take some more orders and I'll get right back to you."

She hurried from behind the bar and to a couple of tables on the far side of the room.

"Does she remember that we're Turks? We should get priority." Reno creased his brows together in mock impatience.

Rude remained unruffled beside him.

"So, do you know how you're going to ask her out yet?"

His partner remained silent.

"Come on, Rude, you can talk to me."

"I never said anything about asking her out," he stated factually.

"You were practically bawling the other night when Rufus took her away from you. I know you, Rude. You were suffering."

Rude sighed loudly behind his glasses, contempt for his partner. "Do you have to overemphasise everything?"

"Would it hurt to just say 'Tifa, I'd like to show you a good time out on the town'?"

Tension began to form across Rude's jaw. "No. She'd say 'no', anyway."

"Fine. Then I'll ask her. Hey, Tifa. What would you say if I asked you out on a date with me?"

The barmaid had reappeared behind her bar was beginning to pour a shot of vodka. She laughed in his face, though kindly. "That's sweet, Reno, but I don't think so." She topped up the glass with coke and handed it to him.

Rude's shy smile turned into more of a grin as he watched his partner's jaw fall ajar.

"I don't know what you're grinning at," Reno mumbled, taking a gulp of his drink. Turning back to Tifa he asked, "Is Cloud around?"

"Oh. Is that why you're really here?" She seemed curious more than anything else, not offended.

"No. I'm just trying to scare Rude, here, into - "

"We were just curious," Rude interjected.

"Well, he said he'd be home around six. You're welcome to hang out until then."

"Spoken just like a wife, right, Rude?"

"I think you've drunk too much," he replied through grinding teeth.

"I've only had half a glass!" Reno laughed, poking his tongue out.

Both men were unaware of the deep shade of pink Tifa's cheeks had become.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in the South of Junon Cloud Strife was eyeing a vegetable patch with curiosity. The soil was a deep red, and the different lines of vegetables planted within it were all different colors. Everything seemed normal except that the carrots were white.

"Can I help you?" An elderly woman with tidy, curled hair and a worn straw hat appeared from her back door. Not expecting to see a strapping, strong man with electric blue eyes and a large black bike by her back yard's fence she had to do a double take before proceeding.

"Those carrots..." He pointed at a flop of green growing from a blob of white in the ground. "They are carrots, right?"

The old woman followed his gaze. _This is so bizarre_, she thought to herself. "Yes, they're carrots. Just like the label says."

"But they're white, not orange." The young man seemed genuinely torn.

"You can get white carrots." She marvelled at how his eyes gleamed at that piece of information. "All carrots used to be white."

"I wonder if Tifa knows that..." he mumbled out loud. _She's never told me about __white carrots before._

"Do you want to buy some?"

His eyes flooded with boy-like apprehension and excitement all at once. "Yeah. At least four."

Soon the strange, blond-haired man was driving off on his bike, four white carrots safely stowed in one of his storage compartments.

* * *

"Seventh Heaven bar, please."

Rufus Shinra's driver paused before entering the address into the Sat Nav. "Sir, Seventh Heaven is just a regular bar in which - "

"That sounds like the place."

Confused, but none the less not wanting to dare question the president of Shinra's request, the driver began to pull away from the safety of Shinra headquarters. "Business, sir?"

"I guess you could say that."

When the large, long, black car pulled up to the correct street Rufus scanned it coolly. This wasn't his territory. He'd stick out like a sore thumb; however, he stepped out into the street anyway. Ascending the steps to the bar's door he regarded the chalk board of today's specials. French onion soup was the soup of the day. Next to it was a childishly written "sold". _A family bar_, he remembered.

Pushing aside the door the first thing he thought was how far a cry this was from any five star restaurant. It was nicely furnished however, in a homely way. Had he been intending to stay long he would have made to remove the cashmere scarf from around his neck along with his coat.

_Where is she?_ The bar was empty. Then, a young boy about half of Rufus' height came jogging down the stairs and almost straight past him. When the boy became aware of his presence he paused and gazed inquisitively up at the well-dressed man in his silver-colored suit and cashmere scarf.

"Yes?" His tone was defensive.

"I'm looking for Tifa. Is she around?" Rufus asked in his smooth, 'people's' voice.

The boy's freckled face grimaced in thought.

_He's wondering if he should tell me or not. _"You're Denzel." Rufus watched as the boy seemed to get only more suspicious. "I'm Rufus Shinra." He held out his hand.

The boy took it slowly and they shook hands. "You helped Cloud defeat Kadaj and the others," Denzel suddenly realised. His facial expression became friendlier and then he pointed at a door on the other side of the room. "Tifa's probably in there."

Rufus approached the door. For a moment he felt nervous. He pushed. In the same moment, Tifa pulled the door from her side. Suddenly there was only a thin column of air between them and they nearly crashed together. Each of them halted and their eyes met. Hers were wide with surprise but then they glazed over to become unreadable. She moved past him.

"Can I help you, Rufus?"

He had rehearsed the whole encounter in his head. "Yes, you can," he said calmly. Tifa cocked her head to show she was listening. "I need you to come with me. My car is waiting outside. I'll explain the rest once we're on our way." He gestured with his hands towards the front door as his eyebrows reclined in quiet confidence.

She looked at him quizically and then as if he was mad. "I can't leave the bar," was her first point, "and what's so important that I'd have to come with you anyway?"

He had prepared for this. Casually he whipped out a cheque book and placed it on the bar. "How much would you make in a single night? I'll pay you the loss and the cost of hiring any babysitters for the children."

Her eyes flashed a deep red. "I don't want your money, Rufus. No, I'm not going to come with you."

"Alright. How much would you make in two nights?"

"I'm _not_ leaving the bar. Or the children."

He hadn't expected her to be so resilient. "What would you like then?"

She pushed away from the counter and rolled her eyes. "I don't want anything." After a short pause she added, "I think you should leave."

Rufus' eyes narrowed in thought, a little confused. "I've made you dislike me again, haven't I?"

Her lips remained sewn together. She was frowning at him.

He looked quickly around the room and withdrew his offending cheque book. "Just give me a ten minutes, okay?"

Before she could say anything he had strolled out the door and back up the street outside. Her expression fell into bewilderment.

"Tifa, I don't mind if you leave the house with Rufus."

She jumped. Denzel was sat on the stairs looking at her. "Thanks, Denzel, but that's not the point. I can't just close the bar for a night. I'd rather not leave you and Marlene alone more than I have to either."

"But he helped Cloud, didn't he? Wouldn't it be important?"

Her expression softened. "Maybe..."

Denzel's face lit up. "Cloud will be home soon anyway. He can look after us."

_Of course, maybe Denzel would like to spend some time alone with Cloud._ She sighed. This was the perfect opportunity. Besides, maybe whatever Rufus wanted to show or tell her was important.

When Rufus returned he claimed to have entitled Tifa to a brand new state-of-the-art kitchen, including a ludicrously expensive stove, all through his contacts as the president of Shinra. It would cost her nothing; however, she had shook it off with a smile and said she would come with him anyway, without any bribes. Rufus had been in shock.

"Come on. Before I change my mind." She had picked up her keys and was walking towards the front door. Marlene had now joined Denzel on the stairs, obvious excitement on both of their faces. "You two be good, okay?" she winked at them.

"Is it okay to leave them alone in the house?"

She locked the door behind her. "Cloud will be home any minute. I called him to make sure."

_So he answers his phone now. _"Does he know where you're going?"

"I told him I was going out. What's it to you, anyway?"

"I just don't want an angry ex-SOLDIER on my hands."

"Cloud was never in SOLDIER," she reminded him quietly.

When the driver pulled up to the front of the bar they entered the car in silence.


	4. Children and Reactors

**Author's Note: I broke my word and this is a couple of days late! Sorry guys! I had a biology test to revise for which I'm pretty sure I failed anyway XD. Pffft. But never mind. Thank you for all the reviews so far, I've got some really lovely ones (you know who you are). Keep telling me your thoughts... Who are you feeling is going to get her - Rufus or Cloud? :D**

* * *

**Children and Reactors**

Cloud's dirty boots trudged through the thick resistance of fatigue. From four in the morning to six-thirty at night he had been travelling, delivering and issuing invoices. It wasn't the longest he had gone, but it was still exhausting. Especially when, even more so after the recent ball, never mind defeating Sephiroth a second time, he had wanted to be home more. He wanted to be spending more time with his family, period, in fact. And he most definitely did not want Tifa to realize she could do without him.

He stepped over the threshold of Seventh Heaven. It was unusually quiet with no patrons around. On the front door Tifa had left a 'closed' sign with a quickly squiggled apology in her handwriting. Seeing it, he felt a pang of annoyance knowing that he had missed her. When she had called he had only been five minutes away. She must have left straight away.

Locking the door behind him Cloud ran a tired hand through his dusty hair. Two little heads then peeped out from behind the wall to the stairs.

"Cloud!" Marlene's cute voice called.

"We're home alone, Cloud. What do you want to do?" Denzel was grinning boyishly at him.

It was at this point that Cloud realised Tifa was the real authority around the house. As far as Marlene and Denzel were concerned as soon as Tifa was out the door so were the rules. He chuckled inwardly. His night alone with the children began.

* * *

Rufus' car smelt of premium quality leather, polished wood and blissfully cold air conditioning. The interior utilised a safe blend of blacks with browns with a spot of silver here or there. From a small fridge embedded in the side - the car was more of a small limo than a car and so had features such as this – Rufus retrieved a frosty, cold bottle of mineral water and offered it to Tifa along with a chilled glass. She waved off the offer gently but felt nervousness in her rise. Extremely few people could afford to have luxuries such as this and now she was one of the few to have experienced them, even if it was only for one car journey. She felt so out of place.

Rufus was at ease in his own environment even as the many incomplete buildings of Edge and the signs of povity zipped past the car's windows. He was making himself an espresso from an instant coffee machine on his left.

"So... are you going to tell me what's so important?" The question had been hanging over her ever since they had gotten into the car, a good twenty minutes ago.

Rufus poured a small sachet of brown sugar into his cup. "Remember when we danced together at the ball?"

She gave a small nod. She also remembered how bad she had felt afterwards. _I still need to apologise to him for that._

"You confirmed a fear of mine. A fear -" He interrupted himself to rethink the explanation. "I want nothing more than for Shinra to be seen as a reputable company again. Rebuilt, proud, with face but also valuable in the eyes of the world. You," He looked up at her. "Made me realize just how far we have to go. For a brief period, I wondered if we could even get there."

She took advantage of his gaze, holding it strongly with her own. "Rufus, when I said all those things at the ball I didn't mean to upset you. I just – There's a lot I still need to forgive Shinra for."

He nodded silently, accepting her apology. "I understand. I know what happened to your hometown, your father, Cloud. Then there was all we put you and your friends through as AVALANCHE." Oddly, he began to smile. "It seems Shinra owes you an awful lot, for just one individual."

"Sir, we're at the facility," the driver called.

Pursing his thin lips together, Rufus flashed Tifa a slight smirk. "I'm going to show you my first step in how I intend to change the world for the better."

* * *

Cloud Strife inspected the fridge that he, Tifa and the children shared. The family fridge, it had become called. A few tomatoes, some lettuce, a couple of large mushrooms and a six-pack of eggs looked at him from the top shelf. Below that, a huge ball of bread dough that was being cooled. Then below that, there was nothing but frozen foods. He eyed the vegetables with little hope as Marlene pushed her head beneath his arm to have a look.

After a time she asked, "Do you think she'll let us eat anything from the restaurant fridge?"

The restaurant fridge was reserved only for food that was served to customers. That meant huge trays of sahagin pie, seasoned chicken breasts, and other batch-friendly foods. Cloud looked doubtful. "We should stay out of it if we can."

Marlene shifted from foot to foot, thinking hard for a solution to their lack of food. "Can we get take-out?" Her eyes illuminated with color. It was so naughty!

After some thought Cloud caved. Within half an hour he had collected two large pizzas from the local pizza house himself, making sure to have got extra toppings and cheese in the crust for the kids, and they were all sat on the sofa munching away happily without so much as a cardboard box – the pizza boxes had been left in the kitchen – to catch the crumbs.

"Denzel, Marlene, make sure you don't mention this to Tifa."

The children happily agreed.

* * *

Somewhere way out of town, far into the desert expanses surrounding Edge and Midgar, Rufus spread his arms to gesture at a small, insignificant looking building positioned between some boulders. Tifa stepped from the car and followed him inside.

"What kind of place is this?"

The walls were dingy white, like an old hospital. Little plastic shells lined the walls from which yellow light emitted; but they weren't needed as several glass panels had been installed into the roof space, flooding the reception with light.

"This is where the future begins." He walked briskly down the hall and she followed. The receptionist didn't even take a second glance.

Several double doors later the little plastic shell lights had been replaced with bar lamps that hung from the ceiling. The walls had turned a perfect, clinical, ghost white. The floors were good quality plastic and spotless. Rufus' smart, leather shoes clicked quietly as he lead the way. People in lab coats, general smart attire and those in suits designed for specialised technicians would move out of his way like ants from a fire. He was the boss, the president and they were all intimidated by his authority; however, he was used to it and sailed past them without halting.

As she followed him Tifa felt more and more like she was falling deeper into a rabbit hole. Being his guest people treated her in the same distant, highly formal fashion as they did him. She wondered if her clothes gave her away as a regular person. They probably did.

Finally they came to a large set of iron doors. At their side was a complicated control panel. Two heavily armoured security guards nodded, 'sir', and stepped aside. Rufus pressed his thumb onto a scanner and spoke his name into a microphone, all while an additional scanner recognised his facial structure and the unique pattern in his iris.

The doors opened.

Inside the new room there was only darkness and shadows. Obscure shapes of denser black littered Tifa's vision. Rufus had continued walking into the fog of the unknown, his leather heals still clicking against the floor. Suddenly his footsteps stopped.

"Are you coming?" he asked in his well spoken accent.

She tried looking for him in the darkness. A hand suddenly clasped around her wrist. Without warning he tugged her hurriedly into the depths of the unknown. Just as suddenly as he had grabbed hold of her he then let go of her. There was a loud clanging as the shocks of large masses of metal colliding shook the floor.

"Rufus?"

"Just wait."

The lights flashed on all at once, the darkness burning to cinders of bright white. A large white column emitting a white glow came into her full view. Around her were more white objects, amongst black and metallic ones, which she could not name or understand the relevance of. Overall the entire structure was huge and impressive. Second by second, whatever this machine was, it was quickly coming to life.

"Oh." Her gasp echoed up into the ceiling.

"This has been somewhat of a project of mine," he said modestly. "It may not look any different from every other reactor-type structure, at least to the average person, but the whole way it works is different." There was pride in his voice.

Tifa's eyes continued to soak in the room.

"This power station does not run on mako, coal, gas or oil. It runs completely on renewable energy. More specifically, on the nuclear fusion of atomic particles."

Eyes wide, Tifa turned to look at him. "I thought that was impossible with current technology." She had heard scientists discussing it on the radio some time ago.

He was taken back by her even knowing what it was. "Yes, it was once considered so. But then, with enough money anything can become possible."

"Well, I'm impressed but – Where did all the money come from?"

Against the bright white of the column in the center of the room, Rufus couldn't help noticing the entrapping dark voids of intelligent curiosity that Tifa's eyes had become. He became absorbed. "Mainly from my own pocket," he said eventually.

She nodded.

_Was that approval?_

Regardless of whether it had been or not, Rufus lead her back out of the building, the long trek that it was, and back to his car. Instead of letting the driver do it, Rufus then held the door out for her himself.

Driving her back home, Rufus waited and waited for her to say something. She had remained silent.

"Well..." He felt strangely timid breaking the silence. "Don't you think it's something to give back to the world?"

She seemed deep in thought. "Yes."

"But what?" There had to be a 'but'.

"But nothing."

"There must be something -"

"Is that the only type of experimentation you're doing down there?" she said quickly.

Rufus swept a hand back through his hair. "No." He was aware of her heavy gaze on him. "But there's nothing bad going on, any... human experimentation. I can assure you."

She bit her lip at the mention of "human experimentation", her thoughts probably going back to Cloud and all the experiments Shinra had put him through. Rufus had been intending to say more, but he suddenly felt like being quiet. He was in no longer in any mood to talk about it.

* * *

At around eleven in the evening Tifa was dropped off outside of her bar. Inside, she saw the closed sign she had put up and nearly ripped it down. Anger. She pushed through the nearest door and walked into the lounge where she heard the TV blaring. On the sofa Cloud, Denzel and Marlene had fallen asleep in a little row against the cushions. Marlene's head was resting in Cloud's lap while Denzel's back was using Cloud's right arm as a leaning post. The anger that had been building up inside immediately melted away leaving behind a loving feeling of warmth for the three people in front of her. A small smirk played across her lips.

She crouched down and stroked the hair gently away from Denzel's face to wake him. She then greeted Marlene in the same way and kissed the children goodnight as she sent them both to bed. After some time, groggily, Cloud opened his own eyes to peer up at his (beautiful, he couldn't help thinking,) best friend who looked almost as exhausted as he was.

"How did things go?" she asked him, sinking into the sofa next to him.

"We had fun," he said sleepily. "Where did you go?" Glancing at the clock he thought, _You were gone a long time._

"Rufus showed up and asked me to look at some project for him." She didn't appear to want to elaborate on the subject.

Cloud's eyebrows cocked in sudden alertness. "What kind of project?"

"A new reactor he's been working on." She suddenly looked worse than exhausted, the volume of her words slowly descending. She yawned loudly behind her hand.

"Why would he ask you about that?"

"I guess he thinks I'm intelligent." Her head was sinking back into the cushions, her consciousness disappearing with it.

"Tifa. Tifa?"

She had become motionless and silent. Sighing, Cloud got to his feet and scooped her sleeping form into his arms. He supposed that for now the details would have to wait.


	5. Afternoon Sun

**Afternoon Sun**

Rufus Shinra stood upon the top the new Shinra headquarters and looked out towards the rest of Edge. He was stood just aside the building's helipad, his personal helicopter parked on it's large 'H'. It was windy, and the wind picked up the corners of his silver suit jacket and flapped them about his middle. His shirt collar was starched and barely moved. His eyes were as grey and drab as the backdrop of cement and metal buildings. His hands were tucked into his jacket's pockets. He hadn't moved for at least 30 minutes. He was doubting, dispairing, then drumming back up his pride and ego in an ongoing cycle. Could he really change people's perceptions of Shinra? Could he earn Tifa's forgiveness for the company? ... Or did he want it for himself?

He moved his right hand out of a pocket and slid the palm of his hand over his forehead as he sighed. His eyes became downcast. Nobody but Tseng and his Father had ever seen him look defeated like this. He felt he couldn't express doubt in front of others if he wanted their unquestioning belief in him.

"Sir?" Trish had appeared behind him. He turned. His posture and facial expression shone with confidence and authority: eyes bright, eyebrows square, business-like smile, and a straight and open posture.

"Evening, Trish."

The sun was beginning to set.

"I was just heading home. I've left everything out that you'll need for your party this evening."

"Thanks. Have a safe journey home." He cast her his warmest smile and turned back towards the backdrop and the setting sun.

Trish lingered for a few moments more. Words on the tip of her tongue. Rufus could sense her still behind him, she had got good at reading him in her three years working for him and he wondered if she could tell he wasn't one hundred percent. The sound of the door to the roof closing told him she'd left him back alone to himself. He narrowed his eyes as orange sun rays danced in his irises. _I've just got to keep going_, he thought to himself.

He removed his hands from his pockets and returned to his office.

* * *

It was afternoon in Seventh Heaven. Pleasant sunlight came in through the kitchen window and illuminated the worktops. It was a Sunday and Tifa always closed at 3pm so that she could spend the rest of the day with the kids. But today, they were at a friends' house and Cloud was out making deliveries as usual, so Tifa sat alone on a stool, leaning onto a worktop. Her fingers were threaded under her chin, her eyes staring into a wall.

Rufus was on her mind. His arrogance, parading into Seventh Heaven thinking he could buy her out for a night. No- in all fairness he is from a world where he swims in money, perhaps he doesn't understand the money she'd make in one night is fair trade for closing the bar, she thought. And then all his words about changing the world's perception of Shinra. He could do it, change people's perceptions, she had no doubt, but was he genuinely changing Shinra for the best? He promised they weren't doing any human experimentation but of all people was she going to trust Rufus?

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
